Winding yarn to form a package is accomplished by means of a winding drum or cam which traverses the yarn back and forth along the length of the package to effect a uniform distribution of the yarn. There is a tendency during such winding operations for ribbons to form on the surface, that is, for the adjacent turns of the yarn to bunch. Such formation is particularly apt to take place in the harmonic areas where the turns usually begin to change from an open to a closed pattern, the turns coming closer and closer together and finally piling on top of each other and then reversing. In my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,416,741 and 3,140,836, there are shown winding machines in which a drum or cam is employed to package yarn and wherein to minimize the occurrence of such ribbon formation mechanism has been provided to periodically disengage the traction roll from the drum or cam so as to allow the drum to slow down and then re-engage the traction roll with the drum to speed it up and in this way break up the continuity of the winding operation and the formation of ribbon. A similar effect may be obtained by accelerating the drum against the package at intervals and this may be achieved by periodically shutting off the current to a motor which drives the drum and then turning it on. In the high-speed winding machines which are currently used the method of breaking up ribbon formation by disengaging the traction roll from the drum wheel or stopping the drive motor and restarting it as mentioned above is largely ineffective because of the inertia in the rotating masses which within the intervals of discontinuing the drive and reassuming the drive nullifies any slow down and speed up of sufficient magnitude to break up the ribbon forming tendencies. The apparatus as shown herein is designed to enable substantially complete break-up of ribbon formation in spite of high-speed winding with a minimal redesign of the present winding apparatus, without thread breakage and with a minimal loss of power.